Wes Bowen drives a school bus on W.Va. 2 in Mason County south of Point Pleasant every school day.
ƵThe amount of traffic and the condition of the road itself is horrible,Ƶ said Bowen, who is about to begin his 29th year of driving for Mason County Schools.
ƵThe road is literally crumbling. ItƵs to the point where it needs to be stripped and paved,Ƶ he said.
The condition of W.Va. 2 in Mason County has become more of a topic of conversation recently as Nucor Steel West Virginia builds its $4 billion sheet steel mill along both sides of W.Va. 2 and as Gov. Patrick Morrisey says the state will spend less money on planning for new roads and more on repairing the roads and bridges it has.
That gave Jared Billings, president of the Mason County Board of Education, hope that the primary and secondary roads that buses travel will get some much-needed repairs. In a recent telephone interview, Billings said, ƵMason County roadwise has just been neglected.Ƶ
Nucor Steel West Virginia is building its mill along both sides of W.Va. 2 at the unincorporated community of Apple Grove, about 28 miles north of downtown Huntington and less than 10 miles from the Cabell County line. From the Cabell County line to Apple Grove, the road is in fairly good shape, although it is narrow in places and low. When the Ohio River floods, W.Va. 2 at Glenwood is the first road in this area to go under water.
After Nucor announced it was coming to West Virginia, the road along the Nucor property was rebuilt from the ground up and a turning lane was added. North of Nucor, W.Va. 2 again is narrow, and it has almost no place to pull off if a vehicle has a breakdown.
From the community of Hogsett about a mile north of Apple Grove and about 6 miles north to Gallipolis Ferry, W.Va. 2 is rough. The berm of the southbound lane is a long series of patched potholes or broken pavement. Bumps from expansion joints are frequent. And again, there are few places for distressed vehicles to get off the roadway.
In addition to that, the road north of Apple Grove is farm country, and slow-moving vehicles frequently use it.
Despite MorriseyƵs statement emphasizing improving existing roads over building new ones, part of BillingsƵ optimism has turned to pessimism.
ƵSomethingƵs got to give,Ƶ he says.
Last month, Billings got on Facebook and shared a letter he had sent to state Commissioner of Highways Stephen T. Rumbaugh and the response he received. In his letter, Billings wrote, ƵThe current state of the road poses significant safety risks. Large potholes, uneven surfaces, and poor drainage have made daily commutes hazardous, particularly for school buses transporting children. These conditions not only endanger the well-being of our students and staff but also contribute to vehicle damage.Ƶ
The letter notes the growth that could occur with Nucor.
ƵDue to the heavy traffic this road has become treacherous. For all of the reasons above in addition to needing to be widened Rt. 2 poses a significant threat to our students, staff, families and community,Ƶ the letter says with a request that RumbaughƵs office Ƶprioritize the assessment and repairƵ of W.Va. 2.
Billings received a response not from Rumbaugh but from Jesse L. Ward, SWAT (Safety With Action Today) Highways Response Team coordinator. The response listed several roads in Mason County that will be repaved this year, but W.Va. 2 was not one.
ƵƵ Route 2 has not been scheduled for paving during the 2025 construction season, due to the ongoing construction of the Nucor Plant,Ƶ WardƵs letter said. He also said the road will continue to be monitored and maintained as needed. Patching has been scheduled with an estimated completion date no later than Oct. 21, 2025, he said.
Billings said former Nucor Steel West Virginia President John Farris told him the county can expect 200 to 300 tractor-trailers entering or leaving the Apple Grove mill once it becomes operational.
ƵHow in the world can this not be a priority with the businesses coming in?Ƶ he asks.
ItƵs not just Nucor, Billings said. Mason CountyƵs high school graduates often use W.Va. 2 to commute to Marshall University, he said.
Billings also said he notices a difference when he crosses the county line into Cabell County. The road in Cabell County is maintained well. The road in Mason County is not, he said. (Mason County is in the Division of HighwaysƵ District 1, which is headquartered in Charleston and covers Kanawha, Boone, Clay, Putnam and Mason counties. Cabell County is in District 2, which is headquartered in Huntington and covers Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, Logan and Mingo counties.)
Bowen, the bus driver, said he lives in the Apple Grove area, and W.Va. 2 has been a problem for years. It should have been addressed long ago, he said.
ƵI hear thereƵs more industries coming. ItƵs not going to do nothing but get worse,Ƶ he said.
ƵSomebody dropped the ball here.Ƶ
